THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP HONORS ENTREPRENEUR AND COMMUNITY LEADER JOHN CHEMALY WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

October 13, 2014

SPRINGFIELD, MA – October 13, 2014 — The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, has announced that Massachusetts entrepreneur John Chemaly, of Trinity EMS, will receive its Lifetime Achievement Award. The award presentation was made at NACCE’s 12th Annual Conference October 12-15 in Phoenix, AZ. He accepted the award on October 13 from NACCE President and CEO Heather Van Sickle; NACCE has its headquarters in Springfield, MA.

“The NACCE Lifetime Achievement award is presented to an individual who has achieved entrepreneurial success and played a pivotal role in the community through involvement and support of civic and philanthropic activities,” says Van Sickle. “John shares his success with his community by supporting charitable organizations that strive for community improvement such as the Merrimack Valley Hospice House, the YMCA of Greater Lowell, the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Haverhill, to name just a few. He has been a leader at his local community college, spearheading fund-raising efforts at Middlesex Community College (MCC) through his involvement with the MCC Foundation. His firm, Trinity EMS helps contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Greater Lowell area.”

John Chemaly grew up in the Lowell area and graduated from Holy Cross College in Worcester. When a private ambulance company in Lowell — the one John worked for as an EMT at the time — was about to close its doors twenty years ago, John worried about the impact the closure would have on his community. He and his business partner, Gary Sepe, founded their own ambulance company, Trinity EMS. Operating on a slender budget and learning the “business side” as they went along, the pair grew Trinity into a major regional emergency medical services provider, making emergency medical response and routine medical transfers available on a 24/7/365 basis. In the process, they created 250 jobs for EMTs, paramedics, and support personnel. The company currently responds to 70,000 calls annually. John is president of the Massachusetts Ambulance Association and is active in the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce.

About NACCE

The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) is an organization of educators, administrators, presidents and entrepreneurs, focused on inciting entrepreneurship in their community and on their campus. NACCE has two main goals: 1. Empower the college to approach the business of running a community college with an entrepreneurial mindset, and 2. Grow the community college’s role in supporting job creation and entrepreneurs in their local ecosystem.

Founded in 2002, NACCE is at the heart of the “entrepreneurship movement.” Through membership, an annual conference and exhibition, regional summits, a quarterly journal, monthly webinars, a dynamic list-serv, and training resources, NACCE serves as the hub for the dissemination and integration of knowledge and successful practices regarding entrepreneurial leadership, entrepreneurship education and student business incubation. These initiatives and resulting actions advance economic prosperity in the communities served by its member colleges. NACCE is a founding member of the White House-led Startup America Partnership. For more information, visit http://www.nacce.com.